Randy Quaid pleads not guilty to charges

Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have pleaded not guilty to felony charges stemming from a disputed hotel bill.

According to People, the couple were charged with burglary, conspiracy and defrauding an innkeeper. The pair were originally arrested on September 24 after allegedly running out on a bill at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara, CA, last summer.

They then proceeded to miss a long list of court dates, the latest of which was December 15, causing them to forfeit a $40,000 (£25,071) bond. After entering their pleas, they have been ordered back in court on March 1 for a preliminary hearing.

"A lot of things can happen between now and then," said Santa Barbara Detective Rod Forney, who worked on the case. "It could be dropped to a misdemeanor or there could be some kind of plea."

The two maintain that the whole incident is just a misunderstanding. Their Texas attorney Rod Ponton reiterated that their bill had been paid in full, and that the charges don't fit the alleged crime.

"They were never on the run from the law," Ponton said. "There's a lot of misinformation out there about this. It's much ado about nothing."